Biodiversity

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Featured Articles
October 17, 2023 How does barge trafficking/movement affect the ecology and biodiversity of riverine ecosystems? A study explains.
River Hooghly at Kolkata (Image Source: Yercaud-elango via Wikimedia Commons)
May 20, 2023 Freshwater biologists Sameer Padhye and Avinash Vanjare talk about smaller and lesser known animals that live in freshwater ecosystems and the importance of studying them. 
Freshwater ecosystems, under threat (Image Source: Biologia Life Science LLP)
January 25, 2023 This study found large deposits of heavy metals in the tissues and organs of water birds, crabs and fish inhabiting the lake indicating heavy metal contamination of the lake waters.
A view of the Veeranam lake in Tamil Nadu (Image Source: Giri9703 via Wikimedia Commons)
December 4, 2022 What is the status of inland fisheries in India? Read these situational analysis reports to know about inland fisheries, the life of the fisherfolk, governance and tenure in inland fisheries and threats to the sustainability of inland fisheries.
Fishing in an irrigation canal in Kerala (Image Source: Martin Pilkinton via Wikimedia Commons)
August 2, 2022 The frequency and intensity of floods is on the rise in Assam spelling doom for fish biodiversity.
Life during floods in Assam (Image Source: Kausika Bordoloi via Wikimedia Commons)
Ken-Betwa river link approved
Policy matters this week Posted on 30 May, 2017 12:26 PM

Forest panel clears Ken-Betwa river link

Ken-Betwa river link shown on a map. (Source: Shannon via Wikipedia)
Shrinking wetlands leave J&K high and dry
Wetlands play a major role in the sustenance of lives and livelihoods in Kashmir. Urbanisation, however, spells doom for the "paradise on earth". Posted on 25 May, 2017 11:33 AM

When torrential downpour submerged thousands of villages and claimed about 300 lives in Jammu & Kashmir in September 2014, loss of wetlands was cited as one of the reasons that aggravated the impact of the natural disaster.

A boatman carries vegetables produced from floating gardens. (Source 101Reporters)
Living on the edge
The increasing cases of tigers straying outside the reserves are leading to man-animal conflicts. A film tries to find solutions. Posted on 23 May, 2017 01:03 PM

A tiger takes a stroll outside the reserve area, breeds on forest patches and looks out for waterholes, all under the curious eyes of visitors. This footage is from Tadoba, a popular tiger habitat in Chandrapur, Maharashtra that draws a lot of domestic and foreign tourists these days. The number of tigers in Tadoba is increasing.

Tiger in Corbett national park. (Source: Soumyajit Nandy, Flickr Commons)
In the name of development
The indigenous community of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has been systematically alienated from their land by the colonial and post-colonial policies. A new book chronicles the change. Posted on 06 May, 2017 08:12 PM

Pankaj Sekhsaria’s recent book Islands in flux--The Andaman and Nicobar Story is a collection of around 20 years of his writings on the environmental and conservation concerns faced by the indigenous tribal communities of the region.

The forests and the tribal communities of the islands are being decimated. (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Karnataka's drought solution: Dig 1 km deep borewells
News this week Posted on 02 May, 2017 08:36 AM

Ambitious solution to curb Karnataka's drought

A borewell in Chitradurga, Karnataka (Source: IWP flickr photos)
2017 will have normal rains: IMD
News this week Posted on 25 Apr, 2017 01:29 AM

Normal monsoon expected this year: IMD

Rainfall in India (Source: India Water Portal via Varun Duta Gupta)
Centre gears up to tackle water shortage
Policy matter this week Posted on 18 Apr, 2017 11:50 AM

Government releases fund for water conservation under MGNREGS

Drought in India (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
Problems of mine: When coal threatens Raigarh
From increasing health issues among residents to declining forest produce, coal mining in Chhattisgarh has devastating outcomes. Posted on 30 Mar, 2017 05:50 PM

It was in the late 90s that Raigarh emerged as the hub for power, coal mining and sponge iron in Chhattisgarh. The coalfield in Mand Raigarh is spread over an area of more than 1,12,000 hectares with an estimated 21,117 metric tonnes of coal. 

A villager looks at the changing landscape due to coal mines at Kosampalli village in Raigarh.
Can Sewri get back in the pink?
Sewri wetland is known for many winged visitors including flamingos that come for blue green algae annually. It is under threat, thanks to rapid urbanisation. Posted on 24 Mar, 2017 09:59 AM

Mangroves form an integral part of the landscape of Mumbai and are essential in maintaining the stability of the coastline.

The pink guests of Sewri. (Source: India Water Portal)
What's conservation without local hand?
A study from the Sundarbans shows that conserving biodiversity by excluding indigenous populations has threatened not only the survival of the forest but also the sustainability of the region. Posted on 24 Mar, 2017 09:48 AM

Can forest conservation policies that ignore the livelihood needs of local, indigenous populations succeed in protecting biodiversity and wildlife?

Experiences from the Sundarbans show that such policies not only result in the suffering of the local population, it also leads to the exploitation of natural resources and biodiversity in the region.

Mangroves of the Sundarbans. (Source: Nature Environment & Wildlife Society - NEWS)
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